Dear God
You take us to the highest places in our lives. And when you do it is so easy to feel blessed, to feel your presence, to know that you love us and care for us, to feel your brilliant light shining on us. We have seen you in the blessings of a new born healthy baby, in the honeymoon of a newlywed couple, in the newly hired employee, in the healing of a medical condition, in the achievement of academic or athletic competitions. And it is so easy to see you and feel you then.
And even though you teach us to be thankful to you for all these blessings, you also teach us to stay grounded. To share these blessings with others who have less, to walk among the weak, to give more than we receive. But in all honesty God, we sometimes get lost in how to do this. We aren’t sure how to start, where to go, who to help. Remind us Lord that all you ask is start right next door, with the person sitting in the pew ahead or behind us, with the person walking into the grocery store aisle at the same time we are, or the person pumping gas at the next pump over. Let us be brave and be the one to share a smile, a kind word, a helping hand. That is how you wish for us to be transformed.
Let us hear your direction here today Lord. Quiet our minds from all our worries and concerns, take us to You so we can be transformed and can see you. And when we are anxious and frustrated about a challenge or obstacle in our life, help us to embrace it. Help us to not waste energy regretting the way things are, holding on to how things used to be, or thinking about what might have been. Help us to start right at this present moment to accept things exactly the way they are and to search for Your way in the circumstances, learning to trust you.
Lord as we think about our neighbors this week, we ask that you be with all those in Rochester who are still without power from this weeks wind storm. And our friends in Naples who are in harms way of wild fires. Please protect them. We ask that you be with the people at our mission of the Month Hope for Ariang. Continue to be with Gabriel and Liz Deng as they work to provide education, safety and food to their village. And Lord please be with all those listed on our prayer and care. Please hear their concerns and needs.
And now Lord, I ask that you hear the silent prayers of those here today. Help us to remember as we pray that prayer is giving time back to You. And by praying, you transform us to higher places. Hear us now.